Glossary of the terms related to tiles

B I C O T T U R A

A tile that has been burnt twice. The first burning yields a tile base (cake), which is next covered with a dye and glaze. As a result, we get a brighter glaze and deeper/clearer colour if compared to the tiles made by means of MONOCOTTURA technology.

C O T T O

A clay tile (all red) pressed from traditional Italian raw material of high mechanical resistance. Due to its porosity, it is warmer than clinker. Due to its porosity, it also requires more care (waxing).

C R A Q U E L E phenomenon

There are fine ‘cracks, crannies' in the glaze. The ‘cracks' are made on purpose to achieve the effect of antique imitation.
E - number / BN - class
Shows the moisture adsorption coefficient that is inversely proportional to the bending strength and cold resistance of the tile.

GLAZED MOSAIC

Murano mosaic. Characterized by clear/deep colours. 80% of its mass is made up of dye pigments. Made like traditional Murano (Venetian) glass.

PRICE (what does it depend on)

Colour shades (the darker and brighter the tile, the more it costs) + technical characteristics + size of a tile (larger-dimensioned tiles and mosaic are more expensive) + manufacturing country+ design.

GLAZED TILE

A ceramic glazed tile that has been burnt below 1000°C. The tile base is porous and absorbs water.

CALIBRE

The measurement tolerance of tiles. After burning, tiles are measured and sorted by size into calibre classes (in ranges of 1-5).

CERAMIC TILE

Consists mainly of clay and sand with an addition of minerals and carbonates.

BRIGHT GLASS MOSAIC

Glass is cut into figures (dimensioned), usually smaller than 6 square inches, and melted. The dye of the tile is on its base.

C L I N K E R

A ceramic tile that has been burnt at an approximate temperature of + 1100°C. Glazed or unglazed. May be resistant to cold and acids.

GRESPORCELLANATO

Tiles turned into porcelain (the so-called läbimass-thermal mass, gres?) at a high temperature (above 1200°C). Extremely hard, cold resistant tiles.

M A T TE OR GLOSSY GLAZE

Matte glaze is more durable and slightly more expensive than glossy glaze.

M O H S number

Shows the surface strength of a material: from 1 (the weakest = talc) up to 10 (the strongest=diamond).

M O N O C O T T U R A

A tile that has been burnt once, i.e. the base (cake), covered with a dye, and the glaze are burnt together.

M O S A IC TILE

Ceramic mosaic is made like glazed/Dutch tiles and clinker tiles. Small tiles or figures are connected on paper or on glass fiber net.
The mosaic of cotto tiles is made by means of gresporcellanato technology by casting necessary figures into moulds.

M Ä R G P R E S S - S U L A S U R V E P L A A T

A tile pressed of a damp mass that is placed into furnace in a damp form. The tile is mechanically durable and exhibits a high resistance to various chemicals. The tiles are burnt at an approximate temperature of +1250°C. Due to the manufacturing technology, the tiles have large (allowed) measurement tolerances. Unglazed tiles need to be protected with saturation agents or wax agents.

P E I

Specification of wear resistance of ceramic tiles in the scale of I-V.

P O R C E LL A N A T O

Perfectly petrified (turned into porcelain, vitrified) ceramic tiles that absorb nothing. Burnt at a temperature above +1250°C. Resistant to cold due to a moisture adsorbance below 0.05%. Made both glazed and unglazed. (In Estonia, also referred to as CLINKER that is not entirely correct, or TÄISMASSPLAAT (THERMAL MASS TILES).

TILE WITH A BASE OF RED OR WHITE CLAY

Tiles with a red clay base have usually better technical characteristics. Tiles with a white clay base have a more precise calibre (dimensions) and are cheaper to manufacture.

R or A , B , C - category

Specification of roughness (resistance to sliding) of ceramic tiles. "R" is a coefficient in the range of 9-13 (slightly rough up to very rough).

R E CT I F I C A T I O N or straightening

Calibration (adjustment) of a tile by cutting, honing or milling.

VITRIFICATION

At heating above +1000°C, the compounds formed in tiles become softer and fill the micropores of the tiles, and the softened compounds bind to particles with a higher melting point, thus, leading to a substantial improvement of the mechanical resistance of the tiles.

CAST TILE

Casting technique is used mainly for making mosaics.